Quinn Lab Alumni

Rachel W. Kallen, Ph.D.

Rachel Kallen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Macquarie University, in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Kallen investigates the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of living with devalued or stigmatized identities. Her applied research interests focus on broadening participation for underrepresented groups at all stages of the STEM pipeline. Her teaching interests include social psychology, the psychology of stigma, and undergraduate and graduate level research methods and statistics.

Diana Milillo is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Nassau Community College. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2006, where she also earned a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies. At NCC, her primary responsibility is teaching, where she teaches courses such as General Psychology, Social Psychology, Human Adjustment, and Women’s Studies, and engages undergraduate students in research projects on women’s perceptions of sexism, attitudes about masculinity, and student engagement in college. She also received a Graduate Certificate in Parent Education and Parent Guidance from Adelphi University, which helped in creating the program Mentoring Moms, a mentoring program aimed at helping student mothers stay in college and succeed. She lives on Long Island, New York with her husband and two daughters.

Stephenie R. Chaudoir is currently an associate professor at the College of the Holy Cross. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2009. Broadly, her research examines the factors that enable individuals living with concealable stigmatized identities to successfully cope with their identities and thrive in the face of them. Specifically, her research centers on advancing the study of concealable stigmatized identities in two primary areas: (1) disclosure processes, and (2) the intraindividual and environmental predictors of psychological and health well-being. Dr. Chaudoir has developed the Disclosure Processes Model (Chaudoir & Fisher, 2010)--a theoretical model that explicates when and why disclosure can be beneficial for individuals living with concealable stigmatized identities. Her current work focuses on applying this model to understand disclosure dynamics in a variety of contexts, including HIV/AIDS.

Valerie A. Earnshaw is an Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology in 2011 from the University of Connecticut, where she pursued additional training in social processes of HIV/AIDS, health psychology, and quantitative research methods. Dr. Earnshaw’s work contributes to understandings of how stigma relates to health outcomes and disparities across the lifespan, and what moderates these associations in protective ways. She primarily focuses on stigma experienced by adolescents and adults at risk for or living with chronic illnesses including HIV.

Kimberly J. McClure Brenchley is currently an Assistant Professor at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2012, where she also received graduate certificates in both Quantitative Research Methods and College Instruction. Dr. McClure Brenchley’s primary research focus is on the stigma of overweight, examining both the mechanisms behind weight stigma and the processes by which possessing this stigmatized identity can influence health and psychological well-being. Her secondary line of research examines social psychological predictors and consequences of weight change that occurs with behavioral weight loss interventions and surgery.

Eileen V. Pitpitan is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Global Public Health in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego. She earned her doctorate in Social Psychology from UCONN in 2011, where she also received advanced training in quantitative methods and health psychology. Upon receiving her degree she gained postdoctoral research experience in HIV and alcohol use at the Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention. Dr. Pitpitan’s research is on examining the psychological, social, and structural factors that put individuals at risk for HIV and other infectious diseases. Her work is focused on disadvantaged and stigmatized populations, including female sex workers and substance users.

Nicole Overstreet is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Clark University. Dr. Overstreet earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Connecticut and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University. Dr. Overstreet’s program of research examines sociocultural factors that contribute to mental and sexual health disparities among Black women and other marginalized groups. Her primary research examines the consequences of intimate partner violence-related stigma on health outcomes from a multi-level perspective (i.e., personal, interpersonal, structural level). Her second line of work focuses on the influence of societal stereotypes around race and gender on the sexual health and well-being of marginalized groups, with a particular focus on the synergistic relationship between sexual objectification and violence against women.

Bradley M. Weisz, Ph.D.

Bradley M. Weisz is an assistant professor of psychology at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Weisz received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Connecticut in 2017. Dr. Weisz's research centers on understanding how stigma and societal stereotypes can contribute to academic and health disparities between advantaged and disadvantaged social groups. One of his lines of research focuses on understanding how stigma based on intersecting social identities can harm students’ academic achievement, and how brief social-psychological interventions can be used to combat this underachievement. His other line of research focuses on understanding the mental and physical health consequences of possessing stigmatized identities that can be concealed or hidden from others (e.g., mental illness; low social class), and how people can effectively cope with this form of stigma (e.g., disclosure, social support).

Elizabeth K. Lawner, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Lawner graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2017 after dedicating much of her time and research to understanding the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, including co-authoring a research-based guide for parents on encouraging girls in STEM, Breaking Through! Helping Girls Succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She is now a research associate at the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), which supports and credentials faculty members in the use of evidence-based teaching practices that drive student engagement, retention, and learning. In that role, Dr. Lawner uses the methodological, statistical, and content expertise she gained at UConn to evaluate the impact of ACUE’s faculty development courses on faculty course takers and their students, and to inform program improvements.